Environment: macOS Sequoia
Summary: Huntress has noticed customer reports of the hostname of the machine changing to a generic name after upgrading to macOS Sequoia.
This KB only applies to agents at version 0.14.58 and below. Huntress Agent version 0.14.60+ use a different method to retrieve hostnames.
Problem description:
After upgrading to Sequoia users have reported that the device hostname changes to:
- macbookpro
- mac
- MacBook
We have been specifically made aware of this after partners have reached out reporting hostname changes being seen in the Huntress portal.
What we found:
In our investigation, we’ve confirmed that this is a macOS specific issue, and not related to Huntress software. Specifically, it is related to the “Wi-Fi MAC Address Randomization” feature that uses a randomized hardware address to prevent third parties from tracking device based on hostname alone. One of the side effects of this functionality seems to be the hostname is reset to a generic name listed above, after upgrading to macOS 15.
Proposed solutions:
Option 1: Manual Modification
To correct this, you will manually need to set your hostname. This can be accomplished with the following command:
sudo scutil --set HostName "Your Desired Hostname"
While not required to complete the change, rebooting afterwards may be helpful to confirm that the new name does not incorrectly revert back.
Option 2: MDM Modification
It may also be possible to change the MAC address randomization setting via an MDM Payload, but please refer to the Apple documentation on the technical and security implications of it. This may also help prevent future name changes for devices managed via MDM.
References: